10/06/2025
The Fear Bubble
So you own a nervous, anxious or fearful dog... Here is the thing; your human emotion tells you to comfort, reassure, wrap in cotton wool and do everything in your power to not add more stress or pressure to your dog, its life and world. You do this with your child when they are scared and low and behold it provides them a little confidence, so why would this not work with your dog?
You see, your dog does not think or act like a human. What you see as reassurance is actually reinforcement. When you are anxious because your dog is anxious, they do not understand that your anxiety is because of them. When you feel sorry for your dog and allow more freedom, flexibility and accommodation you provide them with less and less structure in their life - this leads to more fear and more anxiety, NOT less like your love thinks it does.
You can also achieve (which we are seeing more regularly now) a fearful dog who is hyper empowered. They are empowered because you provide them with so much freedom (you feel sorry for them, so overcompensate) yet they do not have the stability to make good, balanced decisions in the world. This leads to intense reactivity, overt instability and complex, problematic behaviour.
How do we deal with dogs like this. STRUCTURE, MANAGEMENT and EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP. Through this process, we take the weight of the world off the dogs shoulders and guide the dog into making better, healthier decisions based of our input and choice, rather than the dogs.
You want maximum freedom and enjoyment for you and your dog. Start taking back a little control and stop overcompensating for your dogs anxiety, you will only ever do LESS never MORE.
If you are struggling with a nervous or fearful dog, we are experts in providing guidance on how to get the best out of them so they can live a fulfilled and more stress free life. Contact us today for some expert advice and guidance;
[email protected]
www.extremusdogtraining.co.uk